We had asked for 60 metres of 10 mm chain and a 20 kg Bruce anchor to be fitted to our new Maxi 1100 which is berthed in the Clyde. Unfortunately, the stemhead fitting was narrower at one end than the other and the chain jammed there repeatedly. The chain also jammed in the windlass several times, every time we let it out to anchor, although it could usually be retrieved without jamming. To add to all of this the windlass was not powerful enough to lift the chain and anchor if the anchorage was deep or weedy!!!!!
The stemhead fitting was removed, straightened out and replaced. It now seems that the windlass itself jammed because it was installed too far aft and we are now faced with fitting a more powerful windlass and making sure that it is installed correctly. A warning to others who might be contemplating beefed up ground tackle for the MAXI 1100! As we had to anchor virtually all the time that we were out, often in pretty awful conditions, the inability to get the chain down in less than 5 minutes was a dreadful problem!
Laurie Prescott